HE Employability Digest-Nov 2016

> The annual What Do Graduates Do? report published on 3 November 2016 by HECSU, Prospects and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) reports that graduates are working in more professional roles with the proportion in non-graduate jobs after six months falling from 32% in 2015 to 29% in 2016

> The number of first degrees awarded to UK domiciled graduates in 2014/15 was 312,330, down 25,900 on the previous year. As a consequence, the number known to have been in work after six months also fell from 199,810 in 2015 to 189,245 in 20161

> Students from more privileged backgrounds benefit from effective information, advice and guidance (IAG) from their schools, their parents and broader networks

> The report highlights the critical role of employers for improving social mobility, given the mass of evidence which points to socio-economic background still being the most important factor in determining a graduate’s career – often irrespective of the university attended

> The UKES 2016 survey of over 23,000 undergraduates is the only major undergraduate survey in the UK higher education sector that measures students’ engagement with their studies

> While overall 88% of undergraduates say they find their course challenging, just 51% reported that they have strongly developed the skills that ready them for the world of work and will help them get a job.

> UUK, Guild HE and HEFCE are surveying the English HE sector to see how it is engaging with and developing degree apprenticeships provision with an aim to produce a report outlining how the sector is responding to DA initiatives.

> Questions require detailed information about your institution’s view and position on degree apprenticeships, whether you are implementing them, considering their implementation or not.

The Careers Group exists to ensure that each member careers service is the best it can be strategically and operationally, benefiting fully from the collaborative activities of The Careers Group whilst also ensuring that it maximises its unique institutional offering. The Careers Group also strives to be a thought and practice leader within the sector, focused on evidence-based innovation within the employability landscape.